The Epiphany of the Lord, Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.

The Good Word

The new James Webb Telescope has peered as deeply into space as humans have ever looked. Instead of revolving around the earth like the Hubble Telescope, the Webb Telescope is one million miles away from earth and revolves around the sun. Current findings have revealed that in our Milky Way galaxy, the stars we see from our backyards number 200 billion - and counting. In our universe, there are an estimated 2.1 trillion galaxies - and counting. There are more stars in our universe than grains of sand on our sea shores. And there may be more universes!

The question that comes to mind on this Feast of the Epiphany is whether our understanding of God is too small. Does it need to be stretched along with our new understanding of our vast and mysterious cosmos? St. Paul must have had a sense of this when he sings, “Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. How inscrutable are God’s judgments and unsearchable God’s ways.” God is not a bystander who wound up the universe like a clock, but a power within creation, the source and life of a process that is constantly urging creation to go beyond itself.

God actually invites us to be co-creators in this process. We, too, have a deep intrinsic capacity to go beyond ourselves. There is a strong call within each of us to connect with our True Self, to become the person that God means us to be. Our unique gifts allow us to grow in integrity and wholeness. If this process is wasted or thwarted, the universe will be less.

In the Pope Francis’s Epiphany address last year, he famously said, “Don’t get stuck in a spiritual parking lot.” The Magi’s faith kept them moving forward. Although they had excellent reasons not to depart, they accepted the insecurities of being migrants in the world. They let themselves become unsettled. As Benedict XVI said, “the Magi were men with a restless heart.”

Their restlessness was born of a desire that drove them to look beyond what is immediate and visible. Vincent van Gogh once said that his need for God drove him to go outside at night and paint the stars. The Magi’s story should mirror our own in three important ways. First, they were restless. They did not allow their hearts to retreat into caves of apathy and distrust. They continued their forward movement toward God. Secondly, they questioned. “Where is the Child to be found,” they asked Herod. While this question froze Herod’s heart, the Magi were openly curious and not afraid to seek after something they did not fully understand. Finally, they returned to their homes by another way. They tried new paths. What a wonderful reminder to us that 2023 can be the best year by far.

New Year Blessings,

Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R.